Intracranial artery stenosis

Intracranial stenosis is the severe narrowing of an artery within the skull. A blood vessel narrows when fatty deposits (plaque) build up inside the vessel, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Stenosis can restrict blood flow to areas of the brain, increasing the risk of stroke.

Higher circulating PCSK9 levels were independently associated with an intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) prevalence but not with a cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) prevalence. The quantification of circulating PCSK9 levels may help to identify individuals at high risk for cerebrovascular disease in the general population ¹⁾.